Method of producing composite photographs



Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATESI, PATENT OFFICE WILLIM VAN DOREN IKIEILLEY AND WILLIAI WATJLACE KELLEY, 0F LOS ANGELES,

CALIFORNIA Application` filed March il,

In this specification, and the accompanying drawings, we will describe and show a preferred form of our invention, and specifically mention certain of its more important objects. We do not limit ourselves to the 'orms disclosed, since various changes and adaptati'ons may be made therein without departing from the essence of our invention as hereinafter claimed; and objects and advantages, other than those specifically mentioned, are included within its scope.

This invention relates to composite photography, and it is particularly adapted for the production of composite motion pictures. Its principal purpose is to provide means A whereby action and objects may be combined with a previously photographed film, to produce a result that appears in every way t be an original photographic reproduction of thc Whole. As an example of its application, a scene may be made, say in Paris, and afterwards an action or objects may be inserted in that scene in another country, without any appearance of faking Or, a single actor may represent two characters, and actually be photographed at different times, and then the two results may be combined in such a way that both characters appear upon the same scene with every appearance of having been photographed synchronously.

The purposes of the invention are accomplished in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows the essential elements and arrangement of the apparatus that is required for. our process, the figure being diagrammatic partly in cross section, and greatly distorted as to scale, for convenience of illustration;

Figure 2 shows, in elevation, a fragment of positlve motion picture film, prepared from the negative of an original scene as the first ste of our process; A-

igure 3 1s an elevation of a fragment of a negative motion picture film, illustrating an intermediate step for producing the composite negative;

Figure 4 is a similar fragmentary view, illustrating the last step of the process;

Figure 5 is an elevation of a fragment of 1928. Serial No. 259,299.

an intermediate negative film, produced by our process in a slightly different manner than that of the other films illustrated;

Figure 6 is a similar fragmentary view of an intermediate positive film, printed from the negative shown in Figure 5 and used by us in the last mentioned manner of utilizing our invention; I

Similar reference-numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Passing to a description of our process in detail, we may assume, as an example of its application, that a motion picture negative has been made of a certain scene, and that it is desired to reproduce this with certain objects, action, or figures, inserted therein. The first step in the process is to make, from the original negative, a positive film 8 of twice the length, by skipping each alternate picture area in the printing. When completed, the positive iilm will consist of a series of picture areas 9, spaced by clear or transparent areas 10, as shown in Figure 2. This positive ilm may be conveniently referred to as the background picture. 'Ihe skipprintin necessary for its production may be accomp ished in ways that are well known to those familiar with this general art, and it need not be described herein, since' it forms no part of our present invention.

The that it is desired to insert in the original scene, is usuall accomplished on a stage 11, the apparatus eing arranged in the general manner indicated in Figure 1. The background 12 is of blue, and is illuminated by a beam of blue light from a spotlamp 13, so as to reiiect as pure a color as possible. The figures or objects to be doubled into the picture are set or suspended in front of the background at 14, and are stron 1y illuminated by pure color red light rom spotlamp 15. The eect desired is to have a color upon everything back of the objects to be doubled that is complemental to the color upon these objects themselves.

The photographing of a composite negative may be accomplished in the manner next to be described, by means of a special motion picture camera (not shown) that is equipped photographing of the action or objects $119 gna IGIJIp 01 Goncscc M I l l l l Ml 55 set sexen' 01' passage tnyoug g; daxneter, pf ew la; loczxecl vm 1 efelflbly the longitudinal m'tltllel., au( on the String y l 'mg thence toward either anhin om@ 1 llt placed close to o lle brdgen the length O' Contact Wltl the @ting to the out touching it, Whle the second f n' @they means 'the et Some distance 'from the other bridge, this :utangemeut blnglngg out the sprlng; te

oi varyln i *elle set Scl' 'ler te l1-; ne of t musing;

muumum Weight may howev e1' be employed, am l l'mt my protection to glue l all. other werd@ e Y ecltlc n.:xlvee7 imutbe eights, etc. These vllustrw lore lo not 65 By selecting wergllts of pl'ope'r sp f og :zie si` Jiiof Serin Li one sul D n cases.

lt affords an oppoitiuiitifq fr negatxve sinxilar to t, int Sir caribe produced in the rncii out the backgrounds 3?, -o :nes wiil be exposed instead oi2 being cleiiiu S ich e. negative may loe -found to oe oi direct use in certain cases, and may eliminate the necessity for producing the positiv film of l iguie 6.

2@ From the shove description it Wili be evident that our process is adopted to vn: iti iis in the details of procedure, ivi-thou'y ejering from its essence, and snel?. "sirens are contemplated hy us. For :cY cse may Q5 'he made of prisms tw es to e'ect both camere exposures @it f time.

We desire particularly to cfigil attention to the fact that, although 'we i for convenience shown' and des iniiiiiniiii'e 9g object at 14, the process is applinies into such hgcable to the doubling oiI n, previously teken scene ures ect upon stage ll, object ld.

We also desire to point graphing is done iviioili/ from background l2 end lamps 13 end l5 may he verL so that their heeins do not nl@ way interfere. Thus zi c from spot-lmnp 18 may background i2, Without i thing else that is visible p `he cziinere. Similarly a cone 38 of red g i from spot- 45 lernp 15 may he inside to illuii object isi Without inipinging upon the background, or anything else Within the field of the camera lenses.

Having thus fully described the principles 5@ end operation of our invention in e simple manner and shown Ways in which it may be utilized, We claim:

l. rlFhe method ofproducing composite photographs which. comprises; producing an e5 uncolored positive film having picture areas os i *ed light spotf positioned ir in any ie iight a upon enyl i l l i l) i 1 ,M n rrom sind oh jects.

: producing coinposite zes;

"i comprii nml;

background :ii by ulcer crous; "i irn earch ik ,d portions of seid g pir.

.l Obj Y n ivieciiatcoi the positives onliv 'so nii ng from said objects' 1 e iilni With twice 15h eisitized iilm.

l of producingquency oi E, The

i r coiiiposiie i comprises; niiikin`-J` i i heckground iiliii i ,d hy clear zireiis; e

of :i 7oi-chroinii" n color lter and c corziree of said posi4 e only llili one elemental color coinin i eured background fr" d mi2 se rc uneiposed tlirriigli :i

1i ective exposures,

portions of seid nientiil color ilter ive, only to .fictinic .i

coniplenieiitnl clei seid objects; and siiiioing with twice the frequency of of producing' composite n comprises; making nonhan posit' f, background icilin having picture ens si seed by clear iii-eos: ei' iosing through :i color iiltcr in turn each alternate freine ii' i ouole-ienuth sensitized film thus exposed sensitized film; Ina-king an in- '4. A J 1 I 1- frames a coming from sai 7. The method of pro@ cinema films which comprises; making a ble-length positive background film having picture areas spaced by dem meas; exposing' each alternate freine of o double-length hi-ohronmtio sensitized hn thiough a correspending pictule mee of said positive, only to aeinie iight of one eienentni color Coming from piain un'iguied background end par tioiiy inei'cepted. by opaque ohieots in iront 110 of said heckg'ound; exposing @he inermediante frames of the sensitized ihn, through oiem areas of the positive, only to octinic iight of a correspondingly eonipemental eie- 0 mentary color semina' oni said objects;

positive ihn heffing picouie meas .M i

areas; exposing a sensitized lm 1through a picture area of said positive, only to light coming from a uniform un'figuredv back- 

